Selected from nearly 600 nominations statewide, Jennifer Van Dusen, a fifth grade general education teacher at Prairie Point Elementary School in Oswego, is one of just 30 finalists for the 2026 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, recognized for the impact she is making in the classroom.
Jennifer Van Dusen is a veteran fifth-grade general educator at Prairie Point Elementary School with nearly 30 years of experience, who is known for creating a classroom where students feel safe, supported, and capable. Students describe her room as feeling “like home,” and that feeling of community allows them to take academic risks, think critically, and take ownership of their learning. Jennifer places student well-being at the center of her practice, establishing strong relationships that help students develop confidence alongside skills.
Instructionally, Jennifer is reflective and responsive rather than formulaic. She uses a continuous cycle of observing, planning, teaching, and reassessing to modify instruction to her students’ needs. When introducing new concepts, such as division, she first studies, in real time, how students approach problems to understand what they naturally gravitate toward before designing lessons. She is also willing to take professional risks, collaborating with an instructional coach to introduce strategies like sketch noting, an innovation that more than doubled student engagement during read-alouds and strengthened comprehension.
Jennifer extends learning beyond the classroom by teaching students the value of service and community. She encourages students to participate in food drives, visit senior living communities, and volunteer with Feed My Starving Children. In one student-led effort, her class organized a penny drive that raised over $3,500 for tornado relief, connecting learning to real-world impact.
For more information visit https://www.goldenapple.org/golden-apple-awards-finalists-2026
—The Harbinger Group